Intermittent film driving and framing apparatus



Sept. 10,1940. I P. F. SPERRY 2,214,186

INTERMII'TENT FILM DRIVING AND FRAMING APPARATUS Filed July 20, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

BY Ad ATTORNEYS.

Sept. 10, 1940.. p SPERRY 2,214,186

INTERMITTENT FILM DRIVING AND FRAMING APPARATUS Filed July 20, 1959 2 Sheets-$heet 2 INVENTOR.

P/Llmore 2 75/06)" ATTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 10, 1940 ATEN Phiimore F. Sperry, @hicago, Elli, assignor to Psevere Camera Company,

tion of Delaware Chicago, lit, a corpora- Appiication July 2t, 1939, Serial No. 285,545

12 @laims.

This invention relates to improved means for giving a film an intermittent movement through a projector or the like with each frame or picture section of the film in centered position with respect to the ray of light employed for projection purposes, and it has for its object the provision of a new and improved form and arrangement of parts by which improved operation shall be attained. It is one of the objects of this inven- 149 tion to provide a simple arrangement of framing or centering means by which the film can be easily and quickly brought to its desired operating position without stopping the operation of the machine or in any other way interfering with such operation.

In the simple and eiiective construction as illustrated in the drawings, a resilient shuttle arm is employed adapted to swing about a pivotal axis with a spring member opposing the swinging 2d movement in one direction, together with two cooperating actuating devices one of which givessaid shuttle arm a swinging movement about its pivotalaxis against the action of said spring member and the other or" which moves the arm at at right angles to said swinging movement against the resiliency of the arm itself. In the form of construction as shown, the actuating device by which the arm is given its swinging movement about its pivotal axis is itself adapted to be adjusted in the same direction as that in which such actuating device moves the shuttle arm. By an adjustment of this actuating device, the length of the stroke of the shuttle arm remains unchanged, but the point at which the effective stroke of the arm terminates is changed.

It is another object of this invention to improve devices of this type in sundry details hereinafter pointed out. The preferred means by which the several objects have been attained are illus- 0 trated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially at the line 5-8 of Fig. 2 showing the preferred form of construction;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken sub- 5 stantially at the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the shuttle arm and its closely associated parts;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially at the front face of the shuttle arm and looking backwardly, with many of the associated parts omitted;

Fig. 5 is a view on an enlarged scale similar to a portion of Fig. 1 but showing in solid and dotted lines the limit operating positions of the shuttle arm; and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 likewise showing two limit positions of the shuttle arm but with one of the actuating devices for the shuttle arm moved to a different position of adjustment.

Referring now to the several figures of the 5 drawings, in which corresponding parts are indicated by the same reference characters, 158 in; dicates a framework in the form of a housing pivotally mounted by means of a bolt it upon a base 62, only a fragmentary portion of which is shown in Fig. l. The housing it comprises a plurality of parts or sections including a motor housing it, a fan housing M, a lamp housing it, and a central housing portion i6 communicating directly or indirectly with the other sections men tioned. As is best shown in Fig. 2, a motor shaft it extends through the wall of the partition between the housing sections it and it, such motor shaft having a driving wheel l8 fixedly mounted thereon within the housing section it and having fans i9 and 2t fixedly mounted thereon so as to be operated by" the motor. The arrangement is such that the fan i9 forces air inwardly through the motor and thence toward the right in Fig. 2 so as to cool the film and the operating means for the film. The fan 26 forces a considerable I volume of air into the lamp housing l5 so as to have a cooling efiect upon the lamp 2i of any suitable type in said housing. In front of the lamp housing iii, a lens housing 2'2 is provided 30 opposite an opening 23 through which a beam of light passes for projection purposes. A swingingly mounted shutter 24 is provided adapted to cover the opening 23 when the operation of the projector is terminated.

Means is provided for transmitting power from the driving wheel i8 comprising a second driving wheel 25 which is rotatably mounted upon an arm 26 so as to be movable into and out of operative engagement with the driving wheel [8. A pinion 21 is mounted so as to rotate with the driving wheel 25, such pinion being in meshing engagement with a gear 28 which in turn meshes with a gear 29 fixedly mounted upon a drive shaft 30. At its rear end portion, the shaft 30 is provided with a shutter 3| of the usual type employed in projectors for intermittently cutting off the passage of the ray of light through the opening 23.

The parts so far described form in and of 50 themselves no part of the present invention and it is believed accordingly that it is unnecessary to describe them or their operation more in detail herein.

The means for driving a film intermittently 55 .5 cam 01 arm past the opening 23 comprises a shuttle arm 32 pivotally mounted upon a machine screw 33 extending into a lug 34 carried by the wall of the housing portion i6. In the arrangement shown, the shuttle arm 32 is in the form of a thin strip having a turned end portion 35 adapted to engage openings 36 in a film 31 threaded through the machine, as shown in Fig. 5. The strip 32 is of considerable width so as to be comparatively stiff vertically, the strip having suflicient resiliency to enable it to be moved readily sidewise from its normal position,that is to say, in a direction at right angles to the direction in which the arm has its pivotal movement about the bolt 33. A fiat spring 38 carried by the wall of the housing l6 normally presses the shuttle arm 32 upwardly toward the shaft 30.

For giving the shuttle arm 32 the desired movements for actuating the film 31 intermittently, a cam 39 has been provided on the face of the gear 29, as is best shown in Fig. 4, such cam 39 being adapted to engage a lug 40 carried by the arm 32. The arrangement is such that upon each revolution of the shaft 30 the arm 32 is moved for projecting the turned end portion 35 of the arm through the opening 4! for engageme t with one of the openings 36 in the film 31.

In the improved arrangement illustrated in the drawings, a short arm 42 is pivotally mounted about the shaft 30 having a gear 43 rotatably mountedupon its free end by means of a short shaft 44, such gear 43 meshing with the gear 29 and being of the same size so as to cause the shaft 44 to rotate at the same speed as that of the shaft 30. Upon the shaft 44,

45 is fixedly mounted in position to engage a lug 46 carried by the shuttle arm 32. The cam or arm 45 is adapted by engagement with the lug 46 to give the shuttle arm 32 a downward movement against the action of the spring 38.

For holding the arm 42 normally in raised position, a coiled spring 41 has been provided, bearing at its upper end against the arm 42 and at its lower end against the adjacent portion of the framework. For moving the arm 42 downwardly'against the action of the spring 41 into the desired adjusted position vertically, a pin 48 is provided, as is best shown in Fig. 1, such pin 48 having screw-threaded engagement with the framework near its upper end portion so as to be readily adjustable vertically. Upon the upper end of the pin 48 outside of the housing, a knurled head 49 is provided, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1. A set screw 50 is arranged for applying pressure at one side of the pin 48 for holding it in its adjusted position.

The arrangement of the parts is such that when the shaft 38 is rotated in counterclockwise direction in Fig. 4 for projecting the end portion 35 of the shuttle armthrough the open-- ing 4| into engagement with the film 31, the arm or cam '45 is at the same instant ready by engagement with the lug 46 to give the shuttle arm a downward swinging movement about the pivot pin 33. The arrangement is such that at the end of the desired downward movement of the shuttle arm the cam 39 clears the lug 40 so as to permit the shuttle arm to move by its own resiliency back to its normal position out of engagement with the film 31. Shortly after the release of the arm from the film, the arm 45 passes out of engagement with the lug 46 so as to permit the spring 38 to move the shuttle arm again to its raised position ready for engagement with the next adjacent opening 36 in the film 31 for the 'next succeeding intermittent movement of the film.

As is clearly shown in Fig. 1, the opening 23 is precisely centered with respect to the lens housing 22 so that the axis of the lens passes directly through the center of the frame or picture section of the film under normal conditions. If it is found at any time in the operation of the machine that the film is not properly framed, the pin 48 can be very quickly and easily rotated in the proper direction for moving the arm 42 either upwardly or downwardly as may ,be required for bringing the center of thepicture section directly to the axis of the lens sys- In Fig. 5, the uppermost limit position of the shuttle arm 32 is shown in solid lines, with the corresponding lowermost position shown in dotted lines, with the arm 42 adjusted to have a very slight upward trend from the shaft 30. In Fig. 6, a similar arrangement is shown witlr the arm illustrated in its uppermost position by solid lines and illustrated in its lowermost position by dotted lines but with the arm 42 adjusted downwardly as compared with the position of the arm as shown in Fig. 5. As will be appreciated from an inspection of these two figures, any desired adjustment may be had between "the limits as shown by the two figures so as to have the film framed properly at all times, and with ,the axis ofthe lens system passing at all times through the center of the several picture sections or frames.

While the form and arrangement of parts as illustrated in the drawings and as above described are the preferred form of apparatus, the invention is not to be limited thereto except so far as the claims may be so limited, it being understood that changes might well be made in the form and arrangement of parts Zithout departing from the spirit of the inven- I claim:

1. A'film driving means comprising in combination a frame, a shuttle arm in the form of a plate substantially rigid edgewise pivotally mounted so as to swing edgewise and arranged so as to be movable also facewise, a, lug carried by said shuttle arm adapted by engagement with a film to move the film longitudinally, means rotatable on a fixed axis on said frame for giving said arm facewise movements for controlling the engagement of said lug with said film, a support movably mounted adjacent to said axis on said frame, means rotatably mounted on said support adapted by rotary movement to give said arm edgewise movements through a predetermined range, and means for moving said support to different positions on said frame for changing the limits to which said arm is moved edgewise by said secondnamed rotatable means.

2. A film driving means comprising in combination a frame, a shuttle arm in the form of a plate substantially rigid edgewise pivotally mounted so as to swing edgewise and arranged so as to be movable also facewise, a lug carried by said shuttle arm adapted by engagement with a film to move the film longitudinally, means rotatable on a fixed axis on said frame for giving said arm facewise movements for controlling the engagement of said lug with said film, a support movably mounted adjacent to said axis on said frame, means rotatably mounted on said support adapted by rotary movement to give said arm edgewise movements through a predetermined range, a spring for moving said support yieldingly in one direction, and a set screw for moving said support in the opposite direction against the action of said spring for changing the limits to which said arm is moved edgewlse by said second-named rotatable means:

3. A film driving means comprising in combination a frame, a shuttle arm in the form of a plate substantially rigid edgewise pivotally mounted so as to swing vertically edgewise and arranged so as to be movable also sidewise, a lug carried by said shuttle arm adapted by engagement with a film to move the film longitudinally, means comprising a cam rotatable on a fixed axis on said frame for giving said arm sidewise movements for controlling the engagement of said ing with said film, a shaft rotatably mounted on said frame adjacent to said cam means so as to be movable vertically with respect to said cam means, means comprising a second cam mounted on said shaft so as to rotate therewith and adapted by rotary movement of the cam to give said arm edgewise movements vertically through a predetermined range, and means for moving said shaft vertically to difierent positions on said frame forehanglng the upper and lower limits between which said arm is moved by said second cam means.

i. A film driving means comprising in combination a frame, a shuttle arm in the form of a plate substantially rigid edgewise pivotally mounted so as to swing vertically edgewise and arranged so as to be movable also sidewise, a lug carried by said shuttle arm adapted by engagement with a film to move the film longitudinally, means comprising a cam rotatable on a fixed axis on said frame for giving said arm sidewise movements for controlling the engagement of said lug with said film, a shaft rotatably mounted on said frame adjacent to said cam means so as to be movable vertically with respect to said cam means, means comprising a second cam mounted on said shaft so as to rotate therewith and adapted by rotary movement of the cam to give said arm edgewise movements vertically through a predetermined range, intermeshing gears connected with said cams respectively for causing them to move at the same speed of rotation, and means for moving said shaft vertically to difierent positions on said frame for changing the upper and lower limits between which said arm is moved by said second cam means.

5. A film driving means comprising in combination a frame, a shuttle arm in the form of a plate substantially rigid edgewise pivotally mounted so as to swing vertically edgewise and arranged so as to be movable also sidewise, 2. lug carried by said shuttle arm adapted by engagement with a film to move the film longitudinally, means comprising a cam rotatable on a fixed axis on said frame for giving said arm sidewise movements for controlling the engagement of said lug with said film, a shaft :rotatably mounted on said frame adjacent to said cam means so as to be movable vertically with respect to said cam means, means comprising a second cam mounted on said shaft so as to rotate therewith and adapted by rotary movement of the cam to give said arm edgewise movements vertically through a predetermined range, intermeshing gears connected with said cams respectively in such relation as to cause said shuttle arm to move edgewise in one direction in operative driving engagement with said film and to move edgewise in the opposite direction clear of the film, and means for moving said shaft vertically to different positions on said frame for changing ranged so as to be movable at right angles to said swinging movement and normally held yieldingly at one limit of its motion in each of said directions, means carried by said shuttle arm for moving a film lengthwise, an actuating member adapted by an operative movement to give said arm a movement in one of said two directions, a second arm movably mounted adjacent to said actuating member, and a second actuating member carried by said second arm and adjustable therewith adapted by an operative movement in any adjusted position of said second arm to give said first-named arm a movement in the other of said two directions.

7. A film driving means comprising in cornbination a resilient shuttle arm movably mounted so as to be adapted to swing in one direction and arranged so as to be movable at right angles to said swinging movement and normally held yieldingly at one limit or its motion in each of said directions, means carried by said shuttle arm for moving a film lengthwise, an actuating member adapted by a rotary movement to give said arm a movement in one of said two directions, a second arm pivotally mounted on the axis of said actuating member, and a second actuating member carried by said second arm and adjustable therewith adapted by rotary movement in any adjusted position of the second arm to give said first-named arm a movement in the other of said two directions.

8. A film driving means comprising in combination a shuttle arm movably mounted so as to be adapted to swing in one direction and arranged so as to be movable at right angles to said swinging movement and normally held yieldingly at one limit of its motion in each of said directions, means carried by said shuttle arm for moving a film lengthwise, an actuating member adapted by a rotary movement to give said am a movement in one of said two directions, a second arm pivotally mounted on the axis of said actuating member, a second actuating member carried by said second arm and adjustable therewith adapted by rotary movement in the opposite direction in any adjusted position of said second arm to give said first-named arm a movement in the other of said two directions, and means for driving said actuating members in opposite directions at the same speed of rotation.

9. A film driving means comprising in combination a shuttle arm movably mounted so as to be adapted to swing in one direction and arranged so as to be movable at right angles to said swinging movement and normally held yieldingly at one limit of its motion in each of said directions, means carried by said shuttle arm for moving a film lengthwise, an actuating member adapted by a rotary movement to give said arm a movement in one of said two directions, a second arm pivotally mounted on the axis of said actuating member, a second actuating member rotatably mounted on said second arm and adjustable therewith adapted by rotary movement in the opposite direction in any adjusted position of said second arm to give said first-named arm a movement in the other of said two directions,

'and adjustable means adapted by engagement ranged so as'to be movable at right angles to said swinging movement and normally held yieldingly at one limit of its motion in each of said directions, means carried by said shuttle arm for moving a film lengthwise, an actuating member adapted by a rotary movement to give said arm a movement in one of said two directions, a second arm pivotally mounted on the axis of said actuating member, a second actuating member carried by said second arm and adjustable therewith adapted by rotary movement in the opposite direction in any adjusted position of said second "arm to give said first-named arm a movement in the other of said two directions, intermeshing gears of the same efiective size connecting said two actuating members, and means for driving said actuating members in timed relation to the normal movement of a film through a projector.

11-. A film driving means comprising in combination a resilient shuttle arm pivotally mounted at one end so as to swing edgewise and adapted by its own resiliency to bend slightly sidewise and of comparatively great stiffness edgewise, means carried by said shuttle arm for moving a film lengthwise, a spring normally holding said arm at one limit of its swinging movement aboutits pivotal axis, an actuating member adapted by a rotary movement to give said am a movement sidewise, a second arm pivotally mounted on the axis of said actuating member, and a second actuating member carried by said second arm and adjustable therewith adapted by rotary movement in any adjusted position of said second arm to give said first-named arm a movement edgewiseagainst the action of said spring.

12. A film driving means comprising in combination a resilient shuttle arm pivotally mounted at one end so as to swing edgewise and adapted by its own resiliency to bend slightly sidewise and of comparatively great stiffness edgewise, means carried by said shuttle arm for moving a film lengthwise, a spring normally holding said arm at one limit'of its swinging movement about its pivotal axis, a second armpivotally mounted adjacent to said first-named arm so as to swing in the same direction, a gear rotatably mounted on the axis on which said second arm is mounted, a second gear rotatably mounted on said second am so as to mesh with said first-named gear, a cam on said first-named gear adapted by engagement with said first-named arm to give said arm a movement sidewise against the resiliency of the arm, and a second cam on said second gear adapted by engagement with said firstnamed arm in any adjusted position of said second arm to give said first-named arm a swinging movement against the action 'of said spring.

PHILMORE F. SPERRY. 

